Great news for the AFC Richmond heads who’ve been despondent since Emmy-winning soccer sitcom Ted Lasso seemingly came to an end back in 2023: Ted’s back, baby! And thanks to a recent update from Apple, we now know what his new gig is: coach of a division two women’s team in England. (Based on the first-look images just revealed, it’s almost certainly the AFC Richmond women’s team.)
Last year, the streamer’s biggest hit was finally renewed for a fourth season. It followed months— actually, make that years—of speculation as to how the Lasso story would continue, if it would at all, with some suggestions that a spin-off might be more likely. But it seems that Coach Lasso and a new plucky squad of underdogs are themselves going into extra time.
Jason Sudeikis, titular Ted and the series’ executive producer, teased: “As we all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to ‘look before we leap,’ in season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to leap before they look, discovering that where they land, it’s exactly where they’re meant to be.” Reading between the lines, then, expect a return to the sunny optimism that has made Ted Lasso one of the most feel-good shows on TV.
Joining Ted as he ventures into the world of second-division women’s soccer are Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds, Faye Marsan (Game of Thrones, Andor), Aisling Sharkey (Jurassic World) and Jude Mack (Waiting for the Out, Mickey 17). We’ve also had confirmation that fan favorites Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard) and Jeremy Swift (bumbling assistant Leslie Higgins) are all in line for a return to Nelson Road. New squad, yes, but plenty of old faces to keep things feeling familiar.
Colin Hutton
So, what’s going to happen in season 4, and where did we last leave off?
First, let’s briefly recap where we left off. The most important thing to recall is that Ted stepped down as Richmond manager in the season three finale, his spot now filled by Roy Kent (Goldstein), who will presumably maintain his position in season four. Coach Beard also left his post at Richmond assistant manager, so we’ll have to wait and see what sort of role he’ll play. We might also expect Waddingham’s Rebecca Welton, the majority owner of Richmond, to be around less after she ceded 49% of the club to a German-style fan ownership model.
One imagines most of the new cast will be players in Ted’s new women’s team, though photos of Tanya Reynolds standing alongside Suedikis in a Richmond-branded tracksuit suggests her role will be on the sidelines. The back of the head in the photo below sure does look Coach-Beard-y, but let’s not yet jump to any conclusions.